Once a design element becomes universally hated (eg. flashing banner ads, popups) then if you implement a similar looking design element, even if you implement your feature in a usable and intuitive manner, most people will dismiss it immediately based on their past experiences. There are signs this is starting to happen with lightboxes.

"HashMask is an attempt to find a more secure middle ground between clear and masked passwords. It does this by visualizing a hashed representation of the password as a sparkline with color – the intent being that the user would become familiar with this image and be able to easily confirm that they typed the right (or wrong) password."

An important reminder before you re-design your website: "The best word to describe your customers on your website is "impatient." The vast majority of them are at your website to get something done as quickly as possible. The only people who are likely to complain about your website design are website designers."